1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle for releasably connecting loose ends of a belt or strap applied to garments, bags, canteens, or the like, and more particularly to a low-profile buckle having a flat structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Buckles molded of synthetic resin are widely used in recent years because they can be manufactured at a low cost. The molded synthetic resin buckles are however made relatively thick and bulky so as to withstand forces applied thereto during the use of an article to which the buckle is attached.
The recent trend of the buckles is towards a thinner or low-profile design. One such low-profile buckle is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 60-126010. The disclosed buckle is made of metal and comprises of a male member including a pair of locking legs having locking steps at their distal ends, and a female member composed of a base member having a belt retaining portion, front and back plates covering the opposite sides of the base member, and a resilient member having a resilient locking piece releasably engageable with the locking step of the male member. The back plate has a presser piece adapted to be depressed by the user's finger to unlock the locking legs of the male member and the resilient member of the female member.
Since the female member is composed of four component parts assembled together, i.e. the base, the front plate, the back plate and the resilient member, the prior low-profile buckle requires a complicated and time-consuming assembling process and hence is costly to manufacture.